Spread the Love!

Recently, my posts have become targeted by a small vocal minority of right wing, conservative hate mongers who have a long and public history of spreading anti-trans hatred and degradation. Their efforts include campaigning locally and internationally against inclusion of Trans rights as LGBT human rights on the basis of the most ridiculous ill-logic equating trans people (women especially) with cis male rapists. They appear to have come across my writing on "Transphobia in Relationship" which was re-published on The Scavenger, an online alternative news source. The week this article was published, and subsequent weeks saw hundreds of reactionary posts on radfem websites making defamatory, hateful, statements meant to harass, stalk, and cyberbully. A video was also created, and my workplace was contacted. I have no associations with any of these people and have had no contact with any of them, yet they read a post of mine they did not like and began an online campaign to defame my character.

Apparently, my ideas on considering what transphobia looks like are so threatening to them they have taken to spreading my name with tags calling me a "tranny," "rapist," "sex offender," "ex-lesbian," mis-gendering me, and seeking to attack my person, counselling practice, and place of employment. Their postings speak for themselves and do not represent my beliefs, actions, my professional practice or philosophies, me as a person, or any affiliations I have. Anyone perpetuating these malicious falsehoods will be subject to legal action.

I will never understand how anyone could have the time or energy to spread defamation, violence or hate to this degree, especially individuals within the queer community. Furthermore, while being obviously abusive, hateful and transphobic, calling trans people (historically it has been trans women) "rapists" and "sex offenders" by virtue of our being trans... diminishes the real lived experiences of sexual abuse survivors. It is simply disgusting, and deeply demeaning of such experiences.

What is interesting, is not so much the shared violence and exclusion historically that trans and LGB people have faced, but the scapegoating of trans people on whose backs the queer liberation movement and LGB rights have been gained. Our gay brothers and lesbian sisters have been painfully vocal in some circles recently, about their disdain for the rights and acceptance of trans people. These people seem to be going out of their way to harm trans people... by trolling the internet, stalking online forums, spreading the most degrading toxic hatred, violence and misinformation from behind their computer screens, on their blogs, and in community forums in cities they do not live in. Yes, unfortunately the internet is a far reaching tool that can be used by anonymous abusers to launch vitriolic attacks on people they don't know, have never met, do not know the slightest thing about, but who nonetheless provoke dialogue these folks are incapable of understanding or interacting with in any legible way.

What we should be fighting for is the right for all individuals, however they identify, to express themselves and love and live how they want safely.

Body parts and gender are not the issues: threatening, violent, hate-filled behaviour that attacks people is. And the violence affecting trans people, myself included, speaks to that. We should be working together as community members with shared experiences of anti-LGBTTQ2SI violence, trauma and degradation to gain rights for our safety and integrity to live equitably in society, instead of projecting lateral violence amongst each other in some sort of scramble to get rights first.

So live your life how you see fit and let others do the same. No one is forcing you to do anything except consider expanding your consciousness and respecting others...which can be accomplished through respectful, thoughtful, inquisitive dialogue.

Spread the love!

*** If you come across hateful sites please report abuse (on the host site). To any readers who are facing hatred or cyber/bullying and in need of support please seek a local crisis line in your community or try this website AND KEEP RIGHTEOUSLY BEING YOU!!! LOVE AND SOLIDARITY. ~ Xander Sarkisova